Bengel, Outlaw square off in garden setting for debate

During Monday’s mayoral debate, Aldermen Sabrina Bengel and Dana Outlaw found themselves agreeing on the branding campaign for New Bern and how it would create teamwork. Monday’s debate was hosted by New Bern Now and took place in the Isaac Taylor Garden downtown.

Chuck Beckley/Sun Journal

By Eddie Fitzgerald, Sun Journal Staff

Published: Monday, October 21, 2013 at 08:26 PM.

New Bern’s two mayoral candidates faced off in their first forum Monday afternoon.

About 75 people gathered at the Isaac Taylor Garden off Craven Street to hear Alderman Sabrina Bengel and Alderman Dana Outlaw talk about themselves and their visions for the city. Both candidates were asked 10 questions drawn randomly from a hat.

Outlaw, who has been a New Bern alderman for eight years, said he became interested in running for public office through his daily job in real estate and seeing the issues confronting the city, such as high electricity costs to aging water and sewer infrastructure and drainage issues.

As a candidate for mayor, Outlaw said he wanted to hear from people throughout New Bern and wanted citizens to reach out with suggestions of where the city needs to go. He also said he would like to take more Board of Aldermen meetings into communities like the current board has done occasionally.

For her part, Bengel said she has served the city in many capacities for 20 of the 30 years she has lived in New Bern and she feels her record shows that.

When faced with issues, Bengel said she didn’t complain. Instead, she got involved and daily has faced the challenge of making the city better.

New Bern’s two mayoral candidates faced off in their first forum Monday afternoon.

About 75 people gathered at the Isaac Taylor Garden off Craven Street to hear Alderman Sabrina Bengel and Alderman Dana Outlaw talk about themselves and their visions for the city. Both candidates were asked 10 questions drawn randomly from a hat.

Outlaw, who has been a New Bern alderman for eight years, said he became interested in running for public office through his daily job in real estate and seeing the issues confronting the city, such as high electricity costs to aging water and sewer infrastructure and drainage issues.

As a candidate for mayor, Outlaw said he wanted to hear from people throughout New Bern and wanted citizens to reach out with suggestions of where the city needs to go. He also said he would like to take more Board of Aldermen meetings into communities like the current board has done occasionally.

For her part, Bengel said she has served the city in many capacities for 20 of the 30 years she has lived in New Bern and she feels her record shows that.

When faced with issues, Bengel said she didn’t complain. Instead, she got involved and daily has faced the challenge of making the city better.

But it will take everybody, Bengel said.

“We’ve got to stop bickering,” she said. “I will make that happen.”

When asked how the candidates could improve communications and become transparent, Outlaw said everyone probably would agree with him that the term “transparency” has been worn out, which caused some people to laugh.

The city does have a peg-television station that broadcasts all of the board meetings, and Outlaw said he would like to see that broadened to include Housing Authority meetings.

The role of the mayor is to get out in the communities in all 30 square miles of the city, as well as to have weekly talks with the city staff, Outlaw said.

“Cooperation, communication and education” would make the city government more transparent, he said.

Bengel said she would encourage aldermen to be more proactive in their wards. As alderman for Ward 1, Bengel said she stayed on top of issues and email from people with concerns. She said she would like to see more social media such as Facebook and Twitter used to reach people, including youth.

Bengel is on the city’s peg-channel committee and has done about eight programs on it to bring more information to the public. She said she planned to encourage more of that.

Both candidates also were asked if they had plans to reach out to volunteers.

Outlaw said, as mayor, he would like to create an “ad hoc committee” of retirees and people interested in helping with issues such as finding something to attract the youth of New Bern and helping to find grants.

“I want a system where we can reach out to anyone who wants to volunteer and wants to help New Bern,” he said.

Bengel said she would like to create a mayor’s council to bring talented people together who want to volunteer their time to help the city. She said she would like a pool of volunteers the city could call on. The city can save millions of dollars through the service of volunteers, she said.

“We need to harness that energy,” she said.

On the subject of bringing more jobs to New Bern, Outlaw said three things needed to be considered: Cherry Point, the Marine Corps and Camp Lejeune.

Outlaw said the city was wasting time trying to attract businesses that can function through the Internet and needed to focus on meeting job services for Cherry Point and the Marines.

Bengel said she would work with the city and county economic development staff and the Committee of 100 to attract jobs and, as mayor, would go out and sell those ideas.

New Bern has a lot to offer, including the Dunn Building downtown, the city’s $1 million building on Pale Road and empty buildings on South Front Street.

“I will be an ambassador for outside and inside the city,” she said.

A question about whether either candidate had plans to lower electric rates and why they have not already done something about them as aldermen drew a laugh.

“We have to get in the business of providing electricity or get out of it,” Outlaw said.

New Bern needed to follow Wilson’s example of providing more fiber optic opportunities or somehow increase electric services or the city’s revenue sources, he said.

Bengel said the electric rate issue was the “500-pound gorilla” in the room.

“It is something we have all talked about,” she said.

There has been no rate increase since 2008, but Duke Energy Progress is beginning to increase its rates, Bengel said.

The transfer cost of electricity needs to be capped and cost needs to be contained, but there was little that could be done until the city pays off its debt to ElectriCities in 2026, Bengel said.

Growing the tax base would be a step in the right direction, she said.

“I will work my heart out to find a solution,” Bengel said.

Both candidates also said they supported Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp. and all it has done for downtown New Bern. But Bengel and Outlaw said they would like to see more done by Swiss Bear for other areas of town.

Outlaw said he would like to see the city sell the Dunn Building at the corner of Craven and Pollock streets and use the money to build a state-of-the-art green building in Five Points to bring growth in that community.

“You can’t ask someone to invest in something if you don’t invest in it yourself,” Outlaw said.

Bengel said for many years she had questions about Swiss Bear.

“But instead of complaining, I got involved,” she said.

Bengel now sits on the Swiss Bear board and fully supports the nonprofit. She wants it to continue its revitalization efforts in other areas of New Bern.

When asked if either candidate would stop the city’s branding effort and let the citizens choose a brand, Outlaw said the mayor would not have that power. It would be up to the aldermen, he said.

But Outlaw and Bengel said they supported the city’s $82,000 branding effort.

Outlaw said if the city could get one major industry to locate in New Bern with the branding effort, it would be worth it. Branding would be one language that everyone could talk about together, and it promotes teamwork, he said.

A little surprised, Bengel said branding was one thing they both agreed on, which caused the audience to laugh and applaud.

Bengel agreed that branding was about teamwork and said what many people didn’t understand was the effort was about attracting people from outside the city to relocate here, to develop businesses and for tourism.

On a question about refurbishing Greenwood Cemetery and supporting the Trail of Flames tour, Outlaw said the city needs to sell the Dunn Building and seek out grants to invest in the area and give Greenwood as much attention as Cedar Grove Cemetery gets.

Bengel said when she started as an alderman she tried to get the city to purchase the Days Inn and sell the Dunn Building to bring more opportunities to Five Points. She also praised Mary Peterkin, a Five Points advocate and leader of the Uptown Business and Professional Association, for working with Swiss Bear and volunteering her time to document Greenwood Cemetery and the Trail of Flames tour.

“She needs help, and we need to step up,” Bengel said.

Both candidates also supported the arts in New Bern, and not just in downtown.

Outlaw said he would like to see the arts in all of the parks within New Bern “so all the people could feel like they are a part of it.”

Bengel said the city is currently working on an art policy so it can be displayed all over New Bern. She said she was sorry that the arts were being displayed just downtown and has talked to the Chamber of Commerce about expanding arts events to the businesses of Glenburnie, but that didn’t work out.

“I guess right now, downtown is the most conducive place for the visual arts,” she said.

A questions about supporting energy conservation hit on a concern of Outlaw’s, who said it was something he has talked about for years.

He said he would like to see a fund set up where individuals and landlords could get short-term loans to make their properties more energy efficient.

Bengel said many of the high electricity bills come from older houses that are not efficient. But the city gives free energy audits and has installed 70 meters that show people how much electricity they are using, she said.

When asked how to keep New Bern attractive to tourists, Bengel was quick to reply. She is chairman of the city’s Tourism Authority and said she understood the impact on New Bern from tourism.

New Bern needs to promote itself as clean and green and promote the river.

“The best resource we have is the river,” she said.

The ease of walking anywhere in the downtown area is also an attraction, Bengel said.

The city also is working to bring a hotspot for Internet access to Union Point Park and the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center, she said.

As mayor, Bengel said she wants to see people come to New Bern for the first time and be so captivated that they buy homes and live here the rest of their lives.

Outlaw said, as mayor, he would support Swiss Bear, the Chamber of Commerce and the branding effort to promote tourism. New Bern already had huge attractions like Tryon Palace and the N.C. History Center, he said.

New Bern has to do a better job at attracting bigger events at the convention center to attract tourists, he said.

The first debate was sponsored by New Bern Now. The second debate is from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at The Flame.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at eddie.fitzgerald@newbernsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.